Generation at risk: Pandemic fallout could reverse decades of education progress

Pre-pandemic achievement disparities worsened sharply. Data revealed steep declines in performance among Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and multilingual learners, groups already disadvantaged by systemic inequities. The study concludes that COVID-19 did not create these divides but magnified them, accelerating patterns that risk long-lasting consequences if left unaddressed.

The COVID-19 pandemic may be fading in memory, but its impact on education remains stark. A comprehensive study warns that without urgent intervention, the disruptions triggered by COVID-19 risk becoming one of the most severe setbacks to educational equity in decades.

Their article, The COVID Effect: Unlocking the Education Potential for a Generation of Learners, published in Teachers College Record, brings together evidence from California and national trends to reveal how prolonged school closures, remote instruction, and social upheaval reshaped learning for millions of students. The study highlights inequities faced by low-income students, students of color, and multilingual learners while outlining systemic failures that continue to hinder recovery .

What were the most severe impacts of remote learning?

The study identifies remote learning inequities as the first and most visible fault line. At the peak of closures in 2020 and 2021, millions of children lacked access to laptops, tablets, or reliable internet. Estimates cited in the research show nearly 17 million students across the United States were unable to connect adequately. In California, schools distributed devices and Wi-Fi hotspots in large numbers, but access remained inconsistent. Teachers, many unfamiliar with online platforms, struggled to deliver lessons, while students in high-poverty areas faced the compounded challenge of managing academic work alone or while caring for siblings.

This uneven rollout meant that students, especially in core subjects like mathematics, missed foundational learning. The result was a cascade effect: pupils were advanced to higher grades without mastering basics, intensifying stress and leaving educators scrambling to close gaps. By 2022, remediation and acceleration strategies were top concerns for administrators, alongside the urgent task of resocializing students who had lost developmental milestones during isolation.

Pre-pandemic achievement disparities worsened sharply. Data revealed steep declines in performance among Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and multilingual learners, groups already disadvantaged by systemic inequities. The study concludes that COVID-19 did not create these divides but magnified them, accelerating patterns that risk long-lasting consequences if left unaddressed.

How did the pandemic reshape the role of schools?

According to the study, COVID-19 redefined what schools were expected to provide. Educators reported that institutions became de facto centers for food distribution, housing support, and even grief counseling as families struggled with illness, unemployment, and instability. Basic needs like food security and shelter became inseparable from learning outcomes, with many educators describing how classroom engagement was impossible without first addressing survival challenges.

At the same time, a mental health crisis emerged. Educators observed unprecedented spikes in student stress, anxiety, and suicide risk assessments, far exceeding the capacity of school counselors and psychologists. This surge left teachers and administrators filling gaps far beyond their training, often without coordinated guidance from the state.

Worsening these pressures was a workforce crisis. Retirements, resignations, and a lack of new candidates created widespread staffing shortages across classrooms and support roles. Schools were forced to operate with reduced personnel even as responsibilities multiplied, undermining consistency in both academic instruction and emotional support.

These developments, as the authors stress, represent not just temporary crises but structural shifts. Schools were thrust into new, expanded roles without the systemic support required to sustain them - an imbalance that remains largely unresolved.

What policies are needed to prevent long-term damage?

The authors argue that the end of temporary relief funding has created a fiscal cliff that threatens recovery. While federal aid packages provided short-term lifelines, the absence of sustained investment risks undoing progress. Educators interviewed for the study called for reforms that go beyond emergency spending to systemic redesign.

Among the recommendations:

• Real-time data systems to track and respond quickly to student needs.
• Equity standards tied to state learning goals, ensuring that support reaches marginalized populations.
• Long-term funding models focused on whole-child development, not one-off budget priorities.
• Revised funding formulas, shifting from average daily attendance to enrollment-based models that better reflect actual student needs.

The authors caution that without these measures, the nation could witness an educational regression reminiscent of the Jim Crow era, where inequities were legally sanctioned and entrenched. They stress that the pandemic’s educational effects extend far beyond test scores, encompassing systemic inequities, weakened social cohesion, and threats to democratic participation.